Oil refiner Valero Energy doubles quarterly profits
SAN ANTONIO - Oil refiner Valero Energy Corp. on Monday reported that its third-quarter profit more than doubled due mostly to high crude prices and wide refining margins, and the company said it expects to post record earnings in the last three months of the year.

Comparing key to finding deal on insruance
If autumn is the health insurance enrollment season in the workplace, you might be wondering whether you are getting a good deal or whether enrolling in your significant others plan might be a better deal.

People In The News
Progressive Step Rehabilitation announced the promotion of Kira Dunavin to clinic director of Amarillo and Canyon outpatient rehabilitation facilities. She is a speech-language pathologist and has been with Progressive Step Rehab for seven years.

Buddy, can you afford a home?
Looking for a middle-size house for a middle-size family in a middle-class neighborhood? Be glad to be looking in Amarillo.

Yahoo reports soaring third-quarter revenue
As if there was any question about the direction of online media, Yahoo Inc. in October reported a 47 percent jump in third-quarter revenue as visitors and - more importantly - advertisers flocked to the Webs most popular destination.

FOMC is not Fruit of the Month Club
I think it was from the movie Philadelphia that the following quote came. Denzel Washington asked Tom Hanks to explain it to me like (I was) a four year old.

Need increases for workers to know Spanish
As a Spanish instructor for the Workforce Development Division of Amarillo College, I have witnessed an increasing need for managers, supervisors and frontline employees to learn to communicate in Spanish with their coworkers and customers.

Keep rolling, rolling, rolling
A tire is more than the rubber doughnut you ride around on.
In fact, it is a complicated construction designed to absorb the heat of rolling on asphalt, grip the road when stopping and tolerate the cold of winter without snapping.

USC, Texas swap spots again
NEW YORK - Southern California and Texas flip flopped again, putting the Trojans back on top of the Bowl Championship Series standings.

A&M steps backward
COLLEGE STATION - If there were one play that Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione could have changed in Saturday's 42-14 loss to Iowa State, it was a third-and-20 converted by the Cyclones deep in their territory early in the third quarter.

Panhandle People: Randall grad earns degree
MICHELLE LYNN MARTIN has received a bachelor of science degree in exercise and sports studies from Tarleton State University in Stephenville. Martin was a member of the TexAnn basketball team and received an Athlete Committed to Education award in 2005. She is pursuing a master's degree in physical education at TSU.

Spin Control
Nobody wants to go to the dentist. It's not fun. It's gonna hurt no matter what the kindly gentleman with the high-pitched, whirring little gadget in his hand says.

Dear Abby: Woman mulls adopting sister's neglected boy
My older sister, "Katie," has three children - an adopted son, a foster son and a biological son - all under the age of 3. Katie and her husband took in their foster son, "Richie," only because he's the biological brother of their adopted son.

Reunions
CAPROCK HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1975 is planning a reunion and birthday celebration with the theme "CHS Classmates of 1975 turn 50 Years Old Together." The tentative date is Sept. 1, 2007.

Heloise: Clear up uncertainties with doctor
DEAR HELOISE: As a pharmacist, I would just like to clear the air. (This is referring to a reader's hint about asking the pharmacist to put on the label what the medication is for - HELOISE.)

Laugh and look young, recent study suggests
Free radicals are the free-wheeling particles in the body said to cause aging, inflammation and cancer. To battle them, you are encouraged to consume vegetables and fruit and lather your skin with antioxidant creams.

Odessa edges Gorillas, 5-4
Amarillo Gorillas coach Joe Ferras didn't mince words. "You can't just show up in the third period of a hockey game and expect to win at this level because the teams are too good,'' Ferras said after his Gorillas dropped a 5-4 Central League Hockey decision to Odessa on Sunday in Cal Farley Coliseum.

Medical Rounds
The AMARILLO AREA PARKINSON'S SUPPORT GROUP will meet at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Southwest Church of Christ, 45th Avenue and Cornell Street.

Lady Rebels to face EP Eastwood
With the momentum of three straight wins to close out District 2-5A play, the Tascosa volleyball team will travel to Odessa Permian for a Class 5A bidistrict match against El Paso Eastwood at 7 tonight.

Athlete of the Week: Michael Carter, Palo Duro
In a 41-20 victory against Caprock that clinched at least a share of the District 3-4A title, the senior running back found three ways to score despite playing in only the first half. Carter scored on a 28-yard run, a 36-yard pass from Ty James and a 51-yard punt return.

Athlete of the Week: Jane Hays, Hereford
With defensive specialist Betzy Jimenez sidelined by an injury, Hays, a senior outside hitter, was one of a few Hereford players with playoff experience heading into Saturday's Class 4A bidistrict match against Big Spring. Hays provided more than leadership in a 27-25, 25-21, 25-17 win.

Sports On The Air
Times and telecasts provided by TV and radio stations are subject to change. Only live events listed.

Sports On The Air
Times and telecasts provided by TV and radio stations are subject to change. Only live events listed.

Scoreboard
The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Saturday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:

Shooter had late start to earn track success
The woman who shot an Amarillo teen at Temple B'Nai Israel on Sunday had the intensity that made her a two-time All-America track and cross country runner in the 1980s, but she was "never erratic," said a former college official who knew her.

Contraband crackdown
CLOVIS, N.M. - Curry County has cracked down on contraband in its jail, increasing the number of inspections in October to curb the flow.

Ones to Watch: Trang Pham
Trang, who is 18, is a senior and A-B Honor Roll student. She is in AP Classes in English and biology and is a member of the Student Council, ACE Senior Council, the Senior Leadership Team and PALS mentoring program for elementary children.

Ones to Watch: Lauren Jones
Lauren is 17 years old and a senior at RHS. She has been active in the Key Club for two years and a member of the Art Club for two years. She volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House, High Plains Food Bank, Faith City Mission and Teen Court.

Letters To The Editor
Travis McBride has presented Proposition 2 in a just and fair light (Oct. 28 letter, "Exclusion of gays makes no sense"). It seems to me there is a lot of fear driving this proposition which no one is speaking of. Why?

Monday Briefing
Once again, Amarillo has shown what makes it great - its spirit. Only a day after employees at Northwest Texas Heart Hospital discovered an abandoned male newborn child on their doorstep, the Amarillo community bombarded Child Protective Services with inquiries about adopting the infant.

Editorial: Supreme battle switches fronts
It didn't take long Monday for President Bush's latest nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Samuel Alito, to get slapped with labels.

Editorial: Stevens builds bridge too far
Sen. Ted Stevens said he would resign from the U.S. Senate if it transferred funds for a bridge to a tiny island in his state to more immediate needs - such as hurricane relief on the Gulf Coast.

Guest Column: Downtown district barometer of a city's health
Amarillo finally seems to recognize that the future of any city is tied to its downtown area. But recognizing it and doing something about it are two separate things. A long list of to-dos must be completed before we can safely say we're on the right track.

Letters To The Editor
It appears there may be a mutual degree of acceptance and/or tradition between West Texas A&M University and Eastern New Mexico University regarding the altering of each other's mascot. statues, etc.